Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) helps to regulate the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts, the proliferation of endothelial cells, and aids the development of angiogenesis. Its in vivo half-life is on the order of minutes due to extensive degradation and inactivation, which could be potentially reduced by controlled release vehicles. In this study, bFGF was entrapped into chitosan (CS) and N-succinyl-chitosan (SC) nanoparticles, with and without heparin, at two levels of initial loading, followed by further characterization of the particles. Release studies were conducted using radiolabeled bFGF-loaded nanoparticles. Both types of nanoparticles loaded similar amounts of bFGF (60.2 and 68.6% for CS and SC, respectively). The release profile varied greatly among the samples, and a burst release was observed in most cases, with the release amount approaching its final value in the first 6 h. The final amount released varied from 1.5 to 18% of the amount of bFGF-entrapped. The concomitant encapsulation of heparin and the use of SC as a nanoparticle matrix contributed to the largest amount of bFGF release (18%) over the time investigated.
Keywords: Chitosan; drug delivery system; growth factor.